Still no eggs

[oregon newt]

I was pretty sure my female was gravid, but its almost summer and still there are no eggs. Is there a possibility that she could still lay eggs this late in the year? Here's a pic. Does she look gravid to you?

 

[fabian]

To be honest she looks more fat than gravid. My Taricha deposit their eggs between Christmas and Febraury most of the years. As they come from a wide area I'm sure this will differ, but I think it's too late for this year. What temperatures has she?
Fabian

 

[oregon newt]

She prefers to think of herself as having big bones.

 

[John]

Fabian, what more can you tell us about your Taricha breeding success please?

 

[Jennewt]

Hi Will, a lot of people seem to be keeping Taricha in conditions suitable for breeding - well-fed animals with a suitable winter/summer temperature cycle - and yet there are very few captive Taricha that actually do breed and lay eggs. It's a mystery to me why this is the case. I think there must be something specific that these newts need. It could be a rather specific set of temperature parameters, or a particular type or intensity of light.

 

[fabian]

Hi,
I can't tell the exact reason why my animals breed and others don't. I keep them in a very "normal way". At the Moment my group is 4,3 (but this has changed over the years) in an Aquarium 75cm X 45cm X 40cm planted heavily with Elodea and Java moss. Temperatures from 10 to 25°C following the year. Light changes from 6 to 14 hours per day. They stay aquatic the whole year only in mating season the females sometimes try to escape the males by leaving the water. I feed them live food only, they prefer small food (Mainly they eat bloodworms, gammarus and cyclops, sometimes small earthworms and waxworms). At the moment they live in my basement, but I've had them in my sleeping room before and they bred there too.

Some thoughts:
There are much more males than females in the pet-trade and it isn't always easy to see the differerence. Stronge males will amplex on weaker males for example.
I think the females need a very long time to become sexual mature (at least 5 years even 7 is possible) and they grow much slower than males.
Not every amplexing male is ready for courtship they should have big black nuptial glands too.
They do not lay many eggs, about 20 per female and they like the taste of their own eggs (I had one female that turnes around directly after laying and ate the egg).
I'm not sure how many of my females lay fertile eggs and if they do it every year, so I thing a bigger breeding group helps.
They do not cover their eggs too good so it's easy for thier tankmates to find and eat them.
The time between the first amplexus and the first egg can be very long (1 or two months is normal), so you have to look for eggs for quite a long time.
I've tried to sepperate the males and females in fall and bring them together in late November again, this worked, but made no difference to keeping them together all the times and I think it is difficult to find the right time to bring them together again.
One year I tried to keep them in pairs (1,1) to minimze the sexual stress for the females, the males acted much less enthusiastic as in other years and I had no eggs, this is another argument for a bigger breeding group.

Just some thoughts, I've seen other people doing just the same without any success, perhaps it helps that the tarichas are the favorites of my wife?
Greetings Fabian

 

[John]

Temperatures from 10 to 25°C following the year. Light changes from 6 to 14 hours per day.

I would think that is 90% of the reason they breed for you.

 

[fabian]

I would think that is 90% of the reason they breed for you.

I think this is very important too, but other people do the same and their Tarichas do not breed, I think there must be something else.

Sorry for the late reply, I've been on vacation.
Fabian